The more intelligent a woman is, the less likely she is to have children

[Wuldric]

From the Times, today

"Satoshi Kanazawa, a researcher at the London School of Economics, has begun positing evidence that the more intelligent women are, the less likely they are to seek offspring. Kanazawa analysed Britain?s National Child Development Study and discovered that high intellect correlated with an early resolve toward, and lifelong pursuit of, childlessness.
Among females, an increase of 15 IQ points decreased the odds of their becoming a mother by a quarter. When he added controls for economics and education, the results were identical: youthful intelligence was a predictor of childlessness."

The article is a bit rubbish, in many ways, not least of which is referring to women who choose to have children as 'breeders'. But it is interesting to read that the latest estimates suggest that a quarter of British women of childbearing age will never have a baby, and by and large, it is the intelligent women who forego children.

Thoughts?

Plus men don't want intelligent women, they want people who will make their dinner and agree with them.

Exactly. Overstating the case perhaps. But many men feel threatened (diminished) by very intelligent women. Also most men need to feel needed and particularly high intelligence may seem like independence.

So it may be that the right man just ‘doesn’t come along’ more often, at least until a bit later in life.

I don’t think it’s true even generally that men do not want intelligent women. That was true 200yrs ago because of false scientific assertions that women using lots of brain power reduced their fertility. But today, I think it’s a minority of men who want that.

But, today, many many men find a woman’s brain to be very attractive. They want an equal who is interesting to hang out with, not an airhead that will bore them in a few months. Hot sex and “yes dear, whatever you think is best” isn’t enough for a LT relationship.

30+ years ago I was employed at an academic research foundation in a department that had just one man and more than 20 women. The foundation existed to study children, early learning and child-care. There was a tradition of having lunch together on the premises once every couple of weeks so that everyone could update on their activities and and this would segue into a general discussion around the issues we were researching.

One lunchtime someone asked how many women there had children. About two-thirds of the women put their hands up. She asked how many of them would have had children if they'd had any idea of how tough it would be to be a mother and have an academic career. I think three, maybe four, hands went up. There was a discussion that ran way, way over our lunch hour about how difficult it was to be a good enough mother and wife and study and develop a rewarding career. If I hadn't already been a feminist I would have been after that.

Several women said that much as they loved the children they had, they wish they hadn't had them. I think my mother probably felt the same and I grew up subtly aware of being the manifestation of a bad decision. I'd had no idea how common these feelings were: I thought my mum's ambivalence was rare. Not so.

I don't have children. When mothers are hostile towards me (it's still fairly regularly implied that I'm some kind of failure or freak for not having children and now grandchildren) I remember that lunch.

Where do people even drag up these zombies from?

I haven't RTFT but often people with higher intelligence will have opportunities others don't, which make childlessness a more attractive option.

Just going to university does not necessarily make you clever or more academic...especially in more recent times. I'm often shocked when I see who has a doctorate, who is presented as some kind of infallible expert.

The simple truth is that the linger you leave it to have children, as a woman, the more you have to lose in terms of career choice and progression. Plus the longer you leave it, the more difficult a choice it becomes. Nothing to do with intelligence.

Also, interesting to note how many 'trans ally' women in parliament and in public life do not have children. When you do actually have children your view of what makes a woman changes quite radically.

*For example a more intelligent women is more likely to think and work out details of how having children would impact\8

If we all made those sorts of calculations nobody would ever have children.

I consider myself intelligent and had my first child at age 19; and then two more by the time I was 28. It has not been easy, and I have not had a hugely successful career, but I don't regret having children at all (and now a granddaughter.) I see a lot of couples, in their 30's, who get a dog, as some sort of replacement for a child.

I'd say that there looks to be a correlation between "years of education" and "age at which you start to have children"

I had places lined up at university ( early 1980's) but gave it up to live on a peace camp and become a political activist. I then had my first child at 19, while living in a squatting co-operative in London.

I went back and did my degree when my first child started school; but then went on to have two other children just after I'd completed it. I then did teacher training when they started school.

Having children does mean that you have to make certain choices, certainly as a woman ( inevitable really, since it is women who carry the child and give birth), but it does not make one inherently any less academic or intelligent.

Plus men don't want intelligent women, they want people who will make their dinner and agree with them

That's a horrendous generalisation. And inaccurate.

They lap up the narrative that one should finish degrees, get a good career, buy a house, have lots of cash money in the bank and only then try for a child. Unfortunately, by the time they complete their self imposed checklist, they are often too old, infertile and cannot afford IVF for more than one precious baby.

The study wasn't about women delaying childbirth and then finding they've 'left it too late'. It was about women consciously making the choice that they do not want to have children - ever.

Not neccessarily saying that the study stands up to scrutiny, but your post is a bit of a red herring.

Plus men don't want intelligent women, they want people who will make their dinner and agree with them

I think most people end up partnering with someone of similar intelligence to themselves. I've known of a very few people, men and women, who preferred a partner who was either less intelligent or more passive, they seemed to be very over-bearing people generally. But I don't think that's very usual at all. I have known a few more men who thought the idea of the woman staying home with kids cooking dinner was a kind of freeloading on her part.

I wonder how much our social values play into this kind of question. It's been my observation that there is a real class difference around the value of children and extended family more generally. Certain parts of our culture have a tendency to see motherhood as a kind of lesser option as well, something you would never do if you could really contribute to society in an important way.

These things have to influence the choices people make and their ambitions.

*I have known a few more men who thought the idea of the woman staying home with kids cooking dinner was a kind of freeloading on her part8

Yes, I've come across that too.... ( not in my personal life, though) Some men really do seem quite 'resentful'...and attuned to what they perceive as 'fairness'; not wanting sole earning responsibility, and maybe also - not wanting to have shared bank accounts. Even when they have decided to have children together.

If you want to take time out of work to raise young children, you are going to have to have a man that supports you in that, and wants it too.

Certain parts of our culture have a tendency to see motherhood as a kind of lesser option as well, something you would never do if you could really contribute to society in an important way

Yes! In certain ways the liberation of women: into higher education and into the workplace, has consigned mothering and home-making to some degree of scorn. As women, many of us feel caught in between two competing tendencies or desires.

I agree that most men of high intelligence do want women of a similar intelligence. I can't think of any examples amongst my friends where this is not the case. Plus a lot of people these days meet their partners at uni, at work, or through mutual friendship groups so are more likely to have a similar educational background and interests.

women have fewer children and have them later in life the more educated they are

Well has a lot to do with the demands of work. I taught English to Mexican executives and the women had to work such long hours they didn't even have a chance to meet a bf.

The poor and poorly educated have children younger for all kinds of reasons, but anyone who wants to give their child a middle-class lifestyle has to study and work for many years to be able to provide that to their children.

"It’s the usual conflation of class and educational opportunities and IQ."

Is it? It states:

"When he added controls for economics and education, the results were identical: youthful intelligence was a predictor of childlessness."

I want to know when they controlled for this, at the time when "youthful intelligence" is measured, or later in life. Because if it turns out that intelligent girls have fewer children, regardless of whether they go on to a successful education and career, then I think that is a subtle but very important difference.

Anecdotally this is true in my experience. I went to Cambridge so my uni friends would probably be at the intelligent end of the scale. Out of 10 close friends who've kept in touch, only 2 of us have kids at 40. Similarly my school friends are very intelligent and out of 6 of us still in touch o my 2 of us have kids.

I should add that those without children it's through choice.

@IcedPurple
“The study wasn't about women delaying childbirth and then finding they've 'left it too late'. It was about women consciously making the choice that they do not want to have children - ever. “

Actually the study was about the hypothesis that more intelligent children tend to have fewer children. This would include both those who left it too late AND those who chose to be childless.

OOOPs *more intelligent women tend to have fewer children,

@Goosefoot
“It's been my observation that there is a real class difference around the value of children and extended family more generally. Certain parts of our culture have a tendency to see motherhood as a kind of lesser option as well, something you would never do if you could really contribute to society in an important way.”

Agree with you completely! So often I see snarky comments that run along the lines of “surely you aspire to be more than a mom” like being a mother is on par with being a drug addict.

Not rtft

Men are unnerved by intelligent successful women.

I know a few women with no children and the reason is no bloke, or shit blokes.

Will rtft now.

'In a nutshell, more intelligent/affluent couples wait to have children, then realize they have left it too late'

Also know loads of couples been together , man says not ready for children yet.
Woman gets to about 30 or 35, man leaves her for younger woman immediately had kids.

Woman, bit late to find bloke etc etc

I know about 4 examples of this.

I don't agree at all that men are generally unnerved by intelligent successful women. Generally, intelligent successful men pair off with intelligent successful women - the vast majority of my female friends who I went to Cambridge with are all married to men of a similar intelligence/success and age.

In addition, I know hundreds of couples and I don't know any where the man has got to 30/35 and then left his wife for a younger model. I really don't think this happens very much these days. A lot of men seem to overestimate their ability to attract someone much younger - most try, but fail. Plus, 30/35 is not too old for women to have children or to find another man anyway! I know many women in their mid-thirties who haven't had children yet who are happily dating men of the exactly the same age as them (or slightly younger) who they met online!